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Hou Ken
'''Hou Ken' is one of Zhao's "Three Great Heavens" and the most hated enemy of Ou Ki. He is also a Bushin, making him Kyou Kai's foretold enemy. Appearance He is a muscular man with a large build who has long black hair and a scar across his face. There are tattoos on his forearms. He wears a large, poncho-like cloak which goes up to his knees in length. Personality Hou Ken is very alert of anyone's martial 'potential' and is even willing to kill those as young as Shin and Kyou Kai in spite of them being children just because they might one day be a 'threat' to him. To him, there can only be one being that the heavens fear and that person is him. His daunting presence inspires fear in men, causing them to freeze up when they come face to face with him. Hou Ken is also quite pragmatic and accepted beating Ou Ki when the general was shot in the back by Gi Ka in spite of Ou Ki destroying his guandao. He always speaks in old Chinese as seen saying "Thou" on many occasions. The closest thing he has to a friend is Ri Boku who has been able to convince him to become involved with the affairs of the warring states. History Thinks of himself as a Bushin but is actually a failed "Path Seeker". He spent most of his time in the mountains training with his guandao. He appeared during the conquest of Bayou to fight Kyou, one of the Six Great Generals, as her presence drew him out of his training. Hou Ken easily cutting through her elite bodyguards before Kyou arrived on the scene. She was killed by him in combat and he was, in turn, severely wounded by Ou Ki who gave him a scar across his face before his body was riddled with arrows. He came to after the Qin army had left and headed out to do more training as his might was nowhere near that of the man who juust defeated him. It took him 3 years to recover from his wounds and he took another 6 years to train before he was approached by Ri Boku to be involved in Zhao's plans against Qin. Story Hou Ken is first seen arriving at the Zhao royal capital of Kantan where he is given command over the state's army by King Tou Jou to devastate the Qin. He sets off from Baou with his generals when he hears that Ou Ki is coming with an army to fight their forces. They arrive at Bayou at the same time that Ou Ki's forces do and he asks Chou Sou why the Qin general does not attack. After the first battle, he retreats to the headquarters to rest leaving the Zhao strategist in charge of the army. Appearing at night in the campgrounds of Kan Ou and Roku O Mi's armies, he begins to massacre the nearby troops. As he makes his way around the camp, his path lands across that of the Hi Shin Unit and he cuts down several of them instantly. After declaring himself a calamity of the heavens, he continues to kill more Hi Shin members until Shin arrives to stop him from killing Bi Hei. He blocks all of Shin's attacks and dodges that of Kyou Kai before stating that they were the ones who summoned him and he would take their lives despite their age. When Kyou says that she did not do so, he tells her that it was their existence that drew him to the camp and reveals his name to all present. Hou Ken attacks Shin, knocking him unconscious, when the two attempt to use a pincer maneuver against him and faces off against Kyou who begins the Priestess Dance. After blocking her attacks, he notes that she is one of the "god summoners" and declares a competition to see which of them is the rightful chosen warrior of the heavens. He attacks but misses and is cut by the quicker Shiyuu who aims for his neck with her final move but is intercepted by Hou Ken's guandao. He blocks another attempt and slowly begins to match her pace, commenting that it had been a long time since anyone had made him bleed. Seeing Kyou Kai reach her limits, he goes on the offensive but she manages to dodge until the recoil from her technique catches up with her and slowing down her movements. She attempts to protect her comrades but he cuts down several of them, stating that none shall leave until the battle is finished. Seeing Man Goku arrive on the scene, he is attacked by Kan Ou's forces and starts killing all nearby Qin. When Shin's strategy allows him to land a blow against Houken, he moves in for the kill but is hit in the stomach by the end of Hou Ken's guandao. Kyou Kai moves in to stop him from killing Shin and is knocked down as well. He tells them that they are incredible children and are mere offerings to his "god". He attempts to strike down Shin but his attack is several times blocked by the Bi brothers and Taku Kei and this is followed by a spear barrage by the men of the Hi Shin Unit. Hou Ken leaves the battlefield after the Hi Shin unit takes this opportunity to retreat with their leader. Hou Ken appears at the Zhao camp and is greeted by General Chou Sou who is pleased that he is unharmed and asks that he inform them when next he leaves. He shows a reaction to the Zhao signal informing their HQ that General Ou Ki has taken to the field. When Moubu's army storms the Zhao HQ, he comes face to face with the Qin vice general before retreating thus luring the enemy forces into a trap along the way. He leaves some of his men to decimate Mou Bu's troops before seeing General Ou Ki appear with his army to assist the Qin vice general. Seeing the Qin general tearing through Zhao troops, he throws a spear at him and misses, killing 3 Qin soldiers in the process before both armies give way for the two to duel. When Ou Ki asks how he became a leader of an army, he responds that the "method" does not matter so long as he proves that he is the Bushin. As they fight, he calls out Ou Ki for holding back, asking where the power he had 9 years ago went. Ou Ki's wrath is brought out and it causes Houken to remember his fight against Kyou and the aftermath of his fight with Ou Ki that time. He is being beaten by Ou Ki, whose strength begins to overwhelm his own, until he stops in light of Ri Boku's army arriving on the scene. As they continued their fight, inflicting serious wounds on one another, both Hou Ken and Ou Ki were at a stalemate until the Qin general broke the blade on Hou Ken's weapon. Ou Ki was about to deliver the finishing blow when an arrow from Gi Ka pierced his back, halting him in his attack which allowed Hou Ken to pierce through his chest with his broken guandao, inflicting a fatal wound. After the battle, he states that he still doesn't feel like the victor and retreats to the mountains for more training. A few months later, he is approached by Kei Sha who convinces him to accept the command of their army and invade the state of Yan. He personally kills Yan's Great General Geki Shin and ends the war in a day. He tells Ri Boku that it was boring, but Ri Boku tells him that this is just the beginning of a greater battle. Coalition Invasion Arc Hou Ken is not seen during the attack on the Kankoku pass, but secretly is sent as part of Ri Boku's army that uses a mountain passage that lead to middle of the southern pass to Kanyou, bypassing Qin's defenses. It is revealed that Hou Ken is among Ri Boku's forces when Duke Hyou breaks through Ri Boku's Ryuudou strategy, as he is the final trump card of Ri Boku. He engages in a dual with Duke Hyou, and kills him. However Duke Hyou declares that at the least he will take Hou Ken's arm with him and damages it. How severely Hou Ken's arm was injuried in Duke Hyou's dying attack is not yet known.He arrives at the last days of the siege of Sai,and duels Shin.In the battle,both Houken's and Shin's horse fall.At the beginning he has no trouble battling with Shin.Despite serious injuries,Shin manages to wound Houken with his jump attack,scarring him on the face exactly where Ouki scared him as well.Along with Riboku and the army,Houken retreats from the battle,saying that he will remember Shin's name. Abilities Hou Ken is a master at using his guandao as he can instantly cut through multiple enemies with one swing. He is skilled enough to not only block multiple javelins thrown at him but redirect them to damage those nearby. His massive frame belies his impressive speed as he dodged Kyou Kai's attack, essentially moving as fast as the swift assassin herself. In addition to this, his constitution is superior to that of the Shiyuu as he outlasts Kyou Kai when she used the Priestess Dance to its furthest extent. He was able to follow her movements and block some of her moves when she was using the same technique that beheaded 5 assassins in the blink of an eye. He is shown to be an intelligent fighter as he spun two dead bodies with his weapon as a shield to block oncoming crossbow bolts from Kan Ou's troops, shocking all present. Hou Ken can throw a spear with enough strength to kill 3 men. It has been revealed in chapter 217 that Hou Ken martial strength is Over 100. Which puts him as the strongest character in the series. Hou Ken's abilities are limited to being perhaps the strongest single warrior in the story thus far. His character is shrouded in some mystery as to his capabilities as an army commander. He has however still been a great asset to the armies of Zhao as a symbol for morale and by his mere presence causing enemies to have fear and the armies of Zhao to fight harder. In combination to his own independent actions, many opportunities were created that allowed Zhao to overwhelm the opposing armies. Man Goku used Hou Ken as a rallying point to launch a devastating attack on Ou Ki's fourth army, forestall him and prevent his retreat leading ultimately to his death in the Battle for Bayou. Riboku has been noted to use Hou Ken as a lynch pin for his own army. Gallery |t2=Anime |2= }} Lines From Hou Ken: "The "violent god" that resides within me will not allow the existence of any other powerful warriors." From Kei Sha on Houken: "I finally understand the rumors of you being known as the "'manifestation of violence'"." Trivia *Hou Ken is similar to Lu Bu, whose great skill as a military commander is replaced with pure martial skill. *He is still chasing Ou Ki's shadow as his targets while training have the general's face on them. Category:Characters Category:Great Generals Category:Three Great Heavens Category:Zhao Category:Zhao Generals Category:Male Category:Glaive Users Category:Cavalry Category:Commanders in Chief